Paxton sued O’Rourke and his political group last week, arguing that the group was deceptively fundraising for and illegally supporting Texas Democrats' walkout.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a state court Tuesday to hold former Rep. Beto O’Rourke in criminal contempt for raising money for Democratic lawmakers who are staying out of state, alleging O’Rourke violated a court order restricting his fundraising efforts—and making claims that O’Rourke’s lawyer has slammed as an “outright lie.”